The present invention relates to a protector for interposition between an object being shipped and a shipping container, and particularly to such a protector providing adequate support as well as cushioning properties for holding the object being shipped.
Protecting means are frequently employed between shipping cartons and an object shipped therewithin, such protecting means is some cases being required by shipping regulations. For instance, molded paper pulp protectors have been employed heretofore for spacing an object such as a piece of furniture from the shipping carton. The protectors are deisgned to absorb shock while at the same time reasonably securely positioning the item of furniture or other object within the carton. One advantageous protector of this type is set forth and claimed in Dorset U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,626 and another in Hurley U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,441. These protectors provide firmness or resistance to crushing while at the same time providing resilience and adaptability of conformity to the shipped object. Furthermore, such protectors are economical in production.
Notwithstanding the advantages of previously available protective devices, it has been found desirable to wrap the furniture or other object being shipped in a blanket of plastic or other material, prior to application of the protectors, in order to avoid any possible scuffing or abrasion due to vibration in shipping. Some have even glued sections of plastic foam to protector interiors. Utilizing a large plastic blanket is awkward and expensive, and securing plastic material to the inside of the pulp protectors unfortunately leads to an additional abrading problem because of hardened glue spots where the plastic and the protector are joined. Not only is the glue a potential source of abrasion, but it is also an emitter of solvents which may have a tendency to discolor or mar furniture or decompose the plastic blanket.